If We Stayed Stagnant
by not.quite.a.pencil
Summary: Raising a child alone is a challenge, and Zero is glad to get any help she can while Kaname is ready to take on the duties of the hunter's late husband. And while everything seems alright on the surface, there are important pieces gone, if only Zero could figure out what was missing. Fem Zero x Kaname. Gender bender. Set six years after the events at Cross Academy.
1. Chapter 1

**I got the plot bunny for this in not only a strange way, but also in a strange place so once I worked the basics through in my brain I quickly took out my phone and wrote down the outline for this. And I know that I have three other stories to finish, one that I haven't updated in over a year, which I apologize for, but I just wanted to get this oneshot out anyway. So hope you all enjoy it, and if you do let me know! I love to hear comments from you guys!**

 **Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight**

Strong, calloused hands placed the swaddled bundle down on its plush bed, trying to be as gentle as possible to prevent the two month old child from waking up. With a feather like touch, the mother brushed a soft strand of chocolate hair out of the infant's face and offered a small smile as her son shifted slightly.

Taking a minute to ensure that the baby monitor was on and working, the young woman exited the nursery. Once the door was closed without a sound, the silverette felt like she could finally breathe. Running a hand through her short cropped hair, the hunter thought back to when she first brought her Ryuu home. It had been a real struggle, suddenly going from having a caring husband acting as a strong support to being a single mother who hasn't even gotten a chance to grieve the death of the man that she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, and raise a family with. But Zero knows that life doesn't always work out that way and she can't control irresponsible people driving drunk.

Despite the resent life altering tragedy, the hunter seemed to be coping rather well. There were a good few people in her life that were willing to help her, to be her support and reason for moving forward. They kept Zero grounded and stable as she fumbled to balance being a mother, Level D and working hunter for the Association. The most prevalent people were her adoptive sister and father, her former Master Yagari, and strangely enough, the pureblood Kaname Kuran.

That fact itself was something that still shocked the ex-human greatly but they were no longer young and stubborn, having graduated from Cross Academy six years ago and everyone had grown and matured, for the most part.

Zero still didn't believe there was any hope for Aido.

But thinking back the Zero she was back at the Academy would probably shoot the present silverette, thinking that she had lost her mind. Sure she was a successful and well paid vampire hunter, something she had always dreamed of, was able to find a deep motherly love for her son, had a nice two bedroom apartment and friends that were dear to her.

The thoughts of her friends brought the athletic woman back to the present, seeing as one was still waiting for her in the kitchen with a meal that was surely starting to get cold.

Being sure to be silent, waking up Ryuu would be something detrimental to the tired parent, Zero eased her way out of the hallway, through the living room and into the kitchen where her guest was waiting for her with a gentle smile adorning his handsome face.

"Is he finally asleep?" The deep baritone questioned as the hunter plopped herself down in one of the chairs that surrounded the rounded kitchen table.

The hunter nodded quickly before scooping a large bite of the beef and vegetable stew that she had put in the slow cooker early in the morning. "We should have a four hours before he wakes up for another feeding." Looking at her companion as he offered an acknowledging nod before dipping his own utensil into the meal Zero had provided in exchange for the pureblood prince helping out with Ryuu for the first part of the night while she was out on an assignment from the Hunter Association to destroy some Level E's in a nearby town. The brunette had only changed slightly over the years, his handsome face shifting to get rid of the last traces of boyish charm that had been clinging during their years in school. The vampire that sat across from her now was a man, someone she considered her equal now even though he was something that she had fundamentally hated. But with her pregnancy and the birth of her son, Kaname had been their when her late husband could not, walking her through what had happened to his mother when she was pregnant with Yuuki and filling her in on things anyone raising a young child with vampire blood running through their veins.

"That's good." The pureblood commented between bites of stew, enjoying the good flavors that the silverette had created for them to share. "He was pretty anxious earlier, maybe he knew were you were out hunting." Throughout their years Zero had changed greatly in comparison to the prince. When the brunette had first met the silverette he had mistaken her for a small boy when she had stabbed him with a kitchen knife, only to be surprised when Chairman Cross had scolded his 'daughter' for being so violent. During their years at the Academy the former prefect had taken on a tomboy persona, refusing to wear the girl's uniform in favor of the panted boy version, claiming that she was more comfortable and could move easier. That fact making the pureblood regret not enforcing the correct uniform more. So that couples with her silver hair being chopped short with pair of scissors herself made many people think she was just a pretty boy. Now the boyish teen has bloomed into a glowing woman that had the happiness in her crystalline eyes that only a mother does, the stunning hair was still kept short for convenience with her busy lifestyle but it had a distinct feminine style to it. Of course she had developed well over the years, growing from the flat chested and boyish figure to a shapely woman with strong muscles and a well-rounded chest hidden beneath her pale grey cotton button down. One of the biggest differences was the smile that Zero was now willing to give to those she considered close, the people she wanted to protect and cherish.

"Pfft. He's only two months old, sure he'd know I'm not there but I doubt he realizes I hunt bloodsuckers." The mother laughed slightly. Looking up Zero saw Kaname had stopped eating, his right hand holding onto the silver spoon as he gave her a disapproving look.

"What! They were all Level E's! They were the definition of bloodsuckers, it's not like I call you that anymore." Zero scoffed, not worried about offending her companion.

"Liar." The Kuran heir pointed spoon at the silverette in an accusing manner. "I believed you said 'See ya later bloodsucker' before leaving."

"Well you can handle it." And with that the two went back to their meal, paring it with a comfortable and teasing conversation.

* * *

Taking a brief moment to embrace before separating, Zero offered a small and tired smile to the brunette. "Really Kaname, thank you for covering for me tonight. The Association sprung that emergency mission on me and no one could watch Ryuu, and I know you're busy with your whole pureblood thing-"

The man cut Zero short with a gentle hand on her strong shoulder. "Please Zero, anytime you need me to watch Ryuu I'll be there." At his steady words the hunter couldn't hold in the larger grin that bloomed on her face. The endearing expression overtook the brunette's sense of logic as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I mean it. Anytime Zero. And thank you for the meal. It was delicious as always." And with that the charming man was out the front door and into the early morning, disappearing in the palest light with the door shutting behind him.

Reaching up a battle worn hand to touch where Kaname's soft lips had grazed her forehead, taking a moment to feel the fluttering of her heart. Brushing off the emotional glow that had fogged her mind over, the hunter wandered through her apartment while fiddling with the golden ring on her left hand. Lilac eyes drifted to the small series of framed photos, only four in total. One of her original family, her parents and beloved little brother before everything was torn apart. The next featuring a slightly older Zero with her adoptive family on Yuuki's birthday, the female brunette's smile lighting up the room. The one to the right of that showed most of the Night Class, the two prefects, the Chairman and Yagari at their graduation, all with polite smiles to hide the uncertainty of the future.

The last was one the silverette was strangely found of even though it showed her in an unflattering light. The hunter was over six months pregnant, with longer hair that had reached just passed her shoulders was thrown up in a messy tangled bun, there were dark circles under her violet eyes from being ill with morning sickness, reclining on a couch covering in plush pillows. Despite having felt horrid all day the exhuman could only smile up at the man behind the camera because it was a moment when the fact that Zero and her husband were creating a life, and they were excited about it.

Eyes shifting to glance at the small watch on a pale wrist, Zero decided it would be best to try and get some sleep before Ryuu had to wake up again for another feeding in a couple hours. So keeping her focus on the task at hand.

With naturally silent footsteps, the went throught her nightly routine, brushing her teeth thoroughly with the only toothbrush in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, checking the baby monitor one last time before opening the door to the one closet that was filled with her clothes, shoes and miscellaneous weapons to grab a fresh night shirt. Then with a tired sigh Zero pulled back the cottony white covers to snuggle up with the sole pillow before drifting into a strange but easy sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Woo Woo I'm back with the second chapter. And that's all I got. Even though I haven't finished writing the different chapters I do have everything mapped out, it's just a matter of me sitting down to write these. I may be sorry for the delay but I'm not sorry for being mean.**

 **Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight.**

"Yeah, Ryuu really likes the new toys you sent him." The silverette commented absentmindedly into her black cellphone as she walked through the hallways to the Hunter Association, her flat work boots silent against the cool tile of the headquarters. The Headmaster of Cross Academy was constantly sending presents to the growing baby and found that the child reaching six months of age was the perfect opportunity to spoil the boy even more.

"Mhm."

Headmaster Cross was rambling on about how adorable his grandson was and that he wished that it was a holiday so he could leave the school to visit his 'darling children'. After listening to her adoptive father ramble on for a few more minutes the woman made up an excuse about work before hanging up, much to the Chairman's dismay.

With a deep breath and a roll of tense shoulders the hunter pushed open one of the doors to the assignment office of Hunter's Association. There were various hunters that the silverette had seen throughout her career, some she had even worked with over the years, scattered about the large office room.

Staying as anti-social as she did in her younger years, Zero simply breezed through office towards a metal desk that housed a familiar face. "Back so soon?" The man with one side of his deep brown hair shaved close to his head while the other side fell into young curls greeted his particular friend, offering a bright smile when the Kiryuu heir marched up to his desk and grunted in response to his cheery hello. "Really is that all I get? Not a 'Hello Ale, how was your day? Slaving away trying to keep the Association from falling to piece?'" Bright blue eyes sparkled as the man rested his elbow on his desk, the palm of his hand cupping his slight face, causing the jacket of his blue suit to rumple lightly with his movements.

"Hey." The hunter conceded as she shifted her weight from leg to leg, a subconscious habit from spending so many hours holding and rocking Ryuu in the late hours of the evening. "Anything good yet?" The female inquired about any assignments that were ready for the taking, preferably that wouldn't take the professional hunter more than a few hours to complete. Ryuu was with the silverette's adoptive sister and she didn't trust that the former human could keep both herself and a small child out of trouble for an extended period of time.

"Other than my good looks?" He joked, smile only growing larger before disappearing into an uncomfortable cough into a closed fist at the low growl Zero emitted. "Well okay then sourpuss." Ale shuffled through some request paper's that were stacked in an uneven pile, giving each page a quick glance. "There's a noble that has put in a request for a bodyguard for his diplomatic travels, preferably female, that needs to be taken care of. The pay is pretty good, damned good actually but it's a two week assignment." Sparing a glance at the glaring woman before clearing his throat. "So I'll take that as a no. Same for the Italy mission as well." Long fingers feathered through the papers once more before letting out a pleased hum. "Ohh, there's been reports of Level E's gathering at the southern docks. That shouldn't take very long for a hunter of your caliber." Without waiting for any response the brunette man offered the report to the hunter, knowing that this mission would be right up the ex-human's alley. Taking the sheet and scanning the information on it briefly Zero nodded before departing without a word, leaving back through the doors she came through.

* * *

The mission itself was straightforward enough, investigate any activity and eliminate any threats that arise. Or at least that's what it should've been until one of the crazed bloodsuckers got a lucky shot in before she put a bullet through his head. The fact that one of the fuckers not only managed claw into the flesh directly above her knee, but that it had ripped right through her favorite work pants.

Heaving out a tired sigh Zero pushed open the door to her apartment, a small bubble of excitement forming in her stomach at the thought of seeing her baby Ryuu after leaving him with his Aunt Yuuki for a few hours.

"Zero?" A shrill voice called out, the nervous anxiety in Yuuki's voice made Zero panic as she rushed into the nursery to find her adoptive sister sitting on the carpeted floor holding a flushed and writhing Ryuu tightly in her arms with fresh tears running down her face.

"Ryuu!" The silverette's voice cracked as she fell to the floor, her own bleeding injury forgotten as reached out for her child, feeling the boiling temperature of his flesh. "Yuuki what happened?"

"I, I don't know! He was napping and I, I came to check on him and, oh GOD Zero! I'm so sorry." Yuuki blubbered, nervous hands wringing together. "What should we do?!"

Lilac eyes were trained on the sixth month old child's red face while far too soft wails came from his usually strong lungs. Years of being a professional hunter and being in numerous tough situation could not prepare Zero for the raw panic that flooded her veins as her ears were pounded with the sound of her erratic heart rate. "We have to go, find a doctor." Her usually strong and determined voice shook with the raw emotion that was causing her eye's to water.

Holding her son gently to her chest, the hunter tried her best to put on a brave face for her adoptive sister. "We have to go to the hospital." Sending a commanding glance to the pureblooded princess the hunter barked orders. "Get up Yuuki, we can't fuck around! Call your brother, tell him to meet us at the Emergency Room." Wiping her moist eyes on her sleeve, the princess quickly followed her childhood friend as she raced out the door.

Yuuki was fidgeting nonstop in the waiting room in the children's hospital. Ryuu had been immediately taken into the Emergency Room, that was when several nurses had to hold Zero back from following her son and letting loose a string of curses that no child should ever hear.

So now the new mother sat next to the brunette, arms crossed and holding almost completely still, she was barely breathing. The only movement any onlooker could see was the sharp violet eyes constantly moving from the directly ahead to the analog clock on the wall before moving to the other side again in a constant and unnerving cycle.

After half an hour of stressful silence the ex-human stood up abruptly, stepping silently out the room, wandering aimlessly through the halls of the hospital, trying to ignore the countless pictures of children's drawings and book characters that littered the walls. The silverette had to bite her lip with a bruising force to hold back the tears as she recognized a few of the characters from the children books that she had read to Ryuu as he fell asleep. The hunter didn't know how long or how far she walked before a familiar voice called out to her.

"Zero!"

Turning slowly on her heels, the frantic mother found the concerned eyes of her old, friend…

Kaname's long strides brought his calming sent to Zero's senses quickly as he grasped her hand, his smooth thumb rubbing softly on her bruised palm. "Zero, I heard from Yuuki. How's Ryuu?"

Tired eyes slowly tore themselves away from the pureblood prince and drifted to the floor. "I don't know…" Her voice was soft and cracking, teeth biting the inside of her cheek. "He was fine when I left this evening but then, oh God, Kaname I don't know." Her eyes filled with tears that began to roll down her cheeks for the first time as the undefeatable hunter crumbled, her unoccupied hand reaching up to wipe her eyes, "I'm his mother! I should know how to fix this but I don't know!" The silverette hiccupped as she spoke, tears coming freely now down her red face. "Kana, what am I going to do? What if he isn't okay?"

In the blink of an eye the brunette yanked the woman close to his chest, her ear finding his frantic heartbeat. "Don't say that. Everything is going to be fine. Ryuu is going to be fine, and then we can be together again." Kaname's strange words didn't register in Zero's mind other than the comfort they offered as the two sunk to the floor in the abandoned hallway in the early hours of the morning.


End file.
